Chapter 11: A Visit from the Special Operations Division

"Of course I’m worried. Jason, come here and let Daddy take a look. Are you alright?" Chairman Kraf beckoned Jason over.

Jason obediently walked up to him. Chairman Kraf looked him up and down, and after confirming that there were only a few minor scratches, his expression finally softened.

"Thank you all for this. The payment will come later," said Chairman Kraf.

"This is our job. No need to thank us. Also, the police should be arriving soon to question you about the incident. Please be honest about why we barged into enemy territory to rescue the hostage," Yvette said gently, but her tone hardened on that last sentence.

Chairman Kraf took a deep breath. "I will."

"That’s good," Ivette nodded.

"Do you know who the kidnappers were and what their motives might be?" Chairman Kraf asked.

"We only know that their leader was an Affinity User with a Catastrophic tendency. As for the rest, let the police handle the investigation," Davis replied.

Neither side had the intention to talk further, so after exchanging a few more words, they left.

The car drove silently along the road back. Everyone was tired, and the atmosphere was quiet.

"I think Chairman Kraf is hiding something," Ansel suddenly said.

"I agree," Yvette replied from the driver’s seat. She was the one driving now. "But the mission’s done. We don’t need to dig further."

"Probably some recent financial issues," Kagumo muttered while resting her head on her hand.

"Alright, let’s just go home and sleep. Ansel, you can sleep until the afternoon and no one’s going to wake you," Ivette said as she pulled into the garage.

Mo Ying turned and noticed that Ansel had already closed his eyes—looked like he’d fallen asleep. Ah, the enviable ability to sleep anywhere.

After showering in her room, Mo Ying saw that adorable cat again.

Shadow was crouching by the window, watching her. Mo Ying walked over and patted her head. "So cats really don’t sleep at night, huh? Anyway, I’m going to sleep. Good night."

Darkness, and whispers. If one listened closely, they were words of a curse.

"Can you help us? Just this once."

The voice began gently, even pleadingly, but it gradually turned forceful, angry, self-righteous.

"Go die!"

"You’re the ones who should all just die."

A new voice crushed all the others, and then—silence.

The night ended. The sun rose. A new, beautiful day began!

Take a good look—this woman’s name is Mo Ying. She’s hardcore. Slept at 5 a.m. and still woke up at 9!

She stared at her reflection and the not-so-prominent dark circles under her eyes, then decided to ignore them and headed downstairs. When she saw a certain someone wasn’t in the kitchen, she let out a breath of relief.

Davis had gone out to buy ingredients—probably for his cursed apple pie recipe—and now everything was stored in the fridge. Mo Ying toasted two slices of bread, fried an egg, and added some lettuce to make a simple sandwich.

She sat down on the couch with her breakfast and began scrolling through her phone. The news about the hostage rescue was front and center.

The article vaguely mentioned the help of a private organization, but gave no further details.

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Another major headline was about the armed group—apparently, they had struck again nearby.

"What exactly are they trying to do?" Mo Ying muttered. This mysterious armed group emerged about a month ago. The government knew almost nothing about them, and their attacks had no clear pattern.

"Whatever, this probably has nothing to do with me…" Mo Ying realized she was jinxing herself and quickly shut up.

She leaned back into the soft couch and stared blankly at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, the phone on Ivette’s desk rang.

Mo Ying answered it.

"Is this the Clovver Mercenary Group?" a woman’s voice asked.

"Yes, may I ask who’s calling?"

"This is the police department. We heard about your involvement in the hostage rescue and have a few questions. Would 3:00 PM be a good time for a visit?"

The police, huh? About time they called. Mo Ying thought for a moment. "Could it be a little later?"

"Half an hour at most. That’s the limit. You know how those Special Ops people are — clocking out on the dot is sacred." said the officer.

Well, isn’t everyone fond of getting off work on time?

"Alright. By the way, have you found out anything about the people who attacked the Kraf Group building?"

"We have. Just a few troublemakers. They were paid to do it, but they have no idea by whom."

At 3:00 PM, Mo Ying went upstairs and used the universal method to wake everyone up: take their blankets. If that wasn’t enough, open the windows.

It was a highly effective method. Within five minutes, the cold forced everyone to get up.

"Oh, Mo Ying, you’re truly merciless," Ansel groaned, still sitting on the bed.

"The police will be here in half an hour. Do you want to greet them like this?" Mo Ying asked.

Ansel froze for half a second, then jumped out of bed to wash up and change.

He really does care a lot about his appearance. Mo Ying felt smug for accurately judging him.

In the living room, the four of them ate apples while listening to Mo Ying explain the situation.

"I forgot the police would be coming. That’s on me. Good thing Mo Ying was already awake," Ivette said.

"Props to early risers. I used to struggle with 8 a.m. classes back in college," Ansel recalled bitterly.

Ding dong—the doorbell rang. Ivette went to answer it.

A man and a woman stepped inside. The man had black hair and glasses, while the woman had brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"We’re with the Special Operations Division. I’m Colton, and this is Amanda."

"I’m Yvette. Nice to meet you both. Please, come in."

Colton and Amanda sat down on the couch. Kagumo poured them each a glass of water.

Yvette introduced the others. When she got to Mo Ying, she added, "She’s not officially a member yet, just temporarily working with us."

"Understood. Then let’s get straight to it," Colton adjusted his glasses. "We have some questions regarding the kidnapping incident."

"First, why did you participate in the rescue?"

"It was at Chairman Kraf’s request."

Amanda typed rapidly on her laptop.

"And his reason for doing so?"

"He doesn’t trust the police."

Colton paused and glanced at Yvette. "He doesn’t trust the police, but he trusts a mercenary group?"

"I don’t know what goes on in his mind," Yvette replied.

"Some people really do think that way. Everyone idolizes Affinity Users, but only a small portion work for the government," Colton said, then sighed. "The benefits just aren’t good enough—no wonder so few want to join."

"That’s the truth." Amanda looked up.

"You’re here to type, not to comment."

"How did you get access to the police’s information? No, never mind, you don’t have to answer that. Chairman Kraf requested that we share our data with you. Next question: how did you find the kidnappers’ location?"

"I’d prefer not to answer that," Ivette narrowed her eyes.

"Of course. You have the right to remain silent—that’s your privacy," Colton nodded. "Next, how did you defeat the Catastrophic Affinity User?"

Ivette glanced at Mo Ying. Colton was surprised. Was it this young woman who defeated the Affinity User?

"I think I’ll exercise my right to remain silent as well." Mo Ying said.

"Naturally," said Colton, unsurprised by the lack of answers to those questions.

He asked several more about the incident, all of which Yvette answered. Amanda’s fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Alright, that concludes our routine inquiry. There’s no hidden meaning—please don’t misunderstand," Colton said after finishing.

"I understand," Yvette nodded.

"One final question." Amanda, who had been typing all along, now spoke up. "If a similar incident involving Affinity Users arises in the future, would you be willing to assist the Special Operations Division?"

So this is the real question, Yvette thought. Most governments actively sought cooperation with private groups. Skilled Affinity Users were incredibly valuable.

"If we’re in the city at the time, of course. It would be our honor." Ivette replied.

"Thank you. With your help, this case was resolved. The payment will be transferred to your account shortly," Amanda said with a smile.

With all their questions answered, Amanda and Colton didn’t linger—they were from the Special Operations Division, after all, and very punctual about getting off work!

After the door closed, Colton adjusted his glasses. "No problems with them?"

"Not exactly. I can sense it—they all have secrets, especially that black-haired, violet-eyed woman. She’s practically a walking enigma. But none of them lied during the questioning," Amanda, a Mental Affinity User, replied.

"They weren’t lying. Just withholding," Colton said, pressing the elevator button. "In any case, as long as they’re not a threat to the city, the government won’t interfere. For now, they don’t seem hostile."

"I have a feeling we’ll need their help very soon," Amanda said.

Colton knew exactly what she meant—she was referring to the mysterious armed group that had recently surfaced.